1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus, method and computer program for processing information and, in particular, to a system, apparatus, method and computer program for acquiring more easily information relating to a commercial satisfying a desired condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
In TV broadcasting service, commercial messages (hereinafter simply referred to as commercials) are broadcast as an effective advertisement for consumers together with a TV broadcast program body. Since the commercial is typically subject to time limitation, it is generally difficult to furnish consumers with sufficient information regarding products and service.
To compensate for insufficient information regarding products and service, the products are displayed in shops for viewing or catalogs are supplied to potential customers. Since the Internet is widespread use, a supplier may arrange a website and posts product information on the website page.
Consumers may also wish to obtain information relating to broadcast commercials, trying to view a product advertised by a commercial, a performer appearing in a commercial, and music used in a commercial. Many consumers not only view an actual product in shops but also peruse catalogs and the Internet website information.
A consumer may watch a TV broadcast commercial and may be interested in information provided by the commercial. For more information, consumers are forced to write down a company name, a trade name, etc., from the broadcast commercial and visit shops or an Internet webpage. Although the Internet is in widespread use and a variety of information is quickly available, searching for information actually desired by the consumer still inconveniences the consumer. Within brief commercial time, the consumer sometimes misses a keyword required to search for desired information.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-10237 discloses a server that produces successively a history of broadcast commercials to help consumers in searching. When a client terminal operated by a user specifies time and channel on which a commercial has been broadcast, information regarding the commercial specified by the time and channel is transmitted to the client terminal connected via the Internet. With that commercial in hand, the user can easily acquire more information regarding the commercial.